Indigo's League: A Draft
by Pizzadone
Summary: Indigo is a young man who was never allowed to have a Pokemon. On his 10th birthday, the world was busy mourning a war veteran, his parents are strict, his teacher sucks, his sister is dead. Oh yeah, and he gets arrested for a crime he's sure he didn't commit, he goes on adventures with criminals, and his family disowned him. He's in a league all his own. T for nasty expletives.
1. Beginnings

Well hello there. This is the obligatory "going on a journey" Pokemon fanfic I made waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day. In no way does this draft reflect my modern skills, tastes and even interests. It's based so much off of Gen Five stuff that I think I needs to crawl in a hole and die. But, I digress. It did a few good parts and I love Tiffany and Clyde's portrayal. I could not just destroy Sodom knowing that on righteous moment lived there. It just works. But then again, this is old, it's a draft, I don't intend to finish it, and I don't think anyone cares

I would like to thank the anonymous reviewer who left me flames in a review. I agree with almost everything you said and I will make most of those changes. I still consider Poekmon species names to be proper nouns, it sort of makes more sense to me. Thank you for your honesty, thank you for not sugar coating it, and I just wish you were brave enough to use your account to do that that I could properly thank you. This is not sarcasm, I APPRECIATED YOUR COMMENTS!

Without Further Ado:

Indigo's League

* * *

Indigo wasn't like many of the other kids he knew. Most children, when they reached the age of ten, went out on journeys with the Pokémon they had so lovingly cherished since birth. Indigo wasn't that lucky though.

On his older sister's tenth birthday, she received her first Pokémon. She wasn't allowed to go on a journey, but she got a Pokémon. Indigo, in her position, would have been happy with that. His sister, Crystal, wasn't though.

Crystal had always been rather shy. Since she was such an introvert, she preferred to stay at home. Out of the blue one night, she snuck out and left a note for her family, determined to go on an adventure.

Six weeks later, they were visited by a police squadron, asking if her family could identify a dead body. Crystal's face was not recognizable; it was torn to shreds. The only way they could tell it was her was from her silver dog tag necklace. It was printed with the letter C in the bottom corner, along with her address and phone number. Her body was found floating down a river, on a piece of plywood. Indigo wasn't allowed to leave the house for a month after that.

When he was allowed to experience fresh air again, his mother refused to let him go anywhere near Pokémon. She believed that if he was kept away from them, he would learn to dislike them, and he would continue his education rather than go on a journey. Her ultimate goal was to keep him safe, but to Indigo, he felt her protective actions were a prison sentence. Before the incident, he had been very fond of Pokémon, and loved meeting the local wildlife.

His father was just as "cruel" in Indigo's eyes. His father quit working at the local boat shop and moved his family to Nimbasa City, then soon after to the more secluded Anville Town, where wild Pokémon were scarce. Indigo had to leave all of his childhood friends and memories behind, now that he was leaving the Johto region for faraway Unova.

He adjusted to life, though. The sun still rises after an earthquake, or after a fierce war. Indigo continued learning at a trade school, which was customary for children after they completed their journeys or simply finished normal schooling. His school was owned by Mr. Yakamushi, a stubborn instructor who also happened to have moved from Johto.

Indigo soon became skilled with engineering. His knack for tinkering around with trains soon mushroomed into an impressive knowledge of mechanics and programming. The four other apprentices at his school were simply second rate compared to his mastery for metal. He often finished his assignments early and conquered difficult challenges with ease.

Of course, his prowess with building held nothing to his lust for a Pokémon.

Indigo could not stomach whenever he saw one. It wasn't hatred he felt; it was jealousy. Every person in possession of a Pokémon was, in Indigo's eyes, someone who deserved to have their skull pounded down into oblivion.

Indigo knew he looked at these creatures with envy. He never thought he'd be able to own one though. Even when he moved from his ever-protective parents, he thought they would disown him for having any.

He was only partially right. If he was to obtain a Pokémon, he certainly wasn't going to catch it.

But he'd get one someday. And with it, something more.


	2. The Chase, Part One

I walked from school in my usual slump. Most kids talked about me behind my back. "Indigo can't go on a journey," they would whisper. "They say he hates Pokémon so much, he tried to kill a Shinx with his bare hands." I knew none of those rumors were true. I really didn't care what other people said anyway. A loner like me has no hope of befriending the gregarious population of child-kind.

I turned the corner, looking to the second house down on Kohma Street. It was named after Shao Kohma, the legendary fighter pilot of the Galactic war. He died about six years ago, coincidentally the day I turned ten. It helped me cope with not getting a Pokémon; at least everyone else had been sad too.

Kohma had turned the tide of the war. Flying alongside a valiant Pidgeot army, he dropped the hydro bomb on Eterna City, the capital of New Sinnoh. When the villainous team Galactic took over the city and then the region, there was a massive war between Unova, Johto, Kanto and Sinnoh. Kalos and Hoenn allied with each other to create a neutral party, and they took many of the old and young members of our mixed societies in temporarily. Johto and Kanto were allied together and they fought through the Sinjoh ruins to reach Mt. Coronet and eventually Eterna City. Unova fought separately, sending supplies to the Tojoh alliance through the Cave of Being, where their resistance camp was set up.

I had not been born during the war, but my sister was two when it happened. The war is still fresh in many people's memories.

Kohma's actions, although he did them without command, ended the war effectively. He was charged of treason and sentenced to death. When it was discovered that Cyrus, the head of team Galactic, had actually captured the commanding officer and replaced him with a ditto, Kohma had been set free and retried. The plan for the bomb had been known amongst the higher ranking officers but not widely amongst the divisions and public. The ditto, the replica of the person who was actually supposed to carry out the deed, revealed that he accidentally let slip one of the top secret "scrolls" that the commander owned. He went out to burn one particularly important one when Kohma found it. After eavesdropping, Kohma found out the truth, and valiantly carried out the weighty command, fearing no one else could handle it.

He then became a symbol of universal pride and patriotism, despite the consequences he faced. I thought about all of these things as I turned up the walkway to my house. The Galactic war had caused many deaths and the drafting had been terribly severe. The fact that so many children had been left behind was the reason the age for becoming a trainer was so low, without that, the economy would not have bounced back.

The fact that the age was so low seemed to be what had caused my problems. If it had been the same, at 18 or twenty before, Crystal wouldn't have gone missing. Then I would have my sister, and be able to have a Pokémon.

After greeting my empty house with a brief hello, I slouch up to my room. I flop on my bed and begin to assemble my computer. It is an archaic PC, but after the war, computers for private use were outlawed. So many hackers had used them to break into Pokémon centers that eventually the whole operation closed down. After the war, they reopened as a government run agency, so their services became free.

The ancient PC in my own possession had been in a dumpster in Nimbasa city. I walked past it every day between home and school, so I had disconnected all of the parts and took one or two a day so that nobody noticed. Then, after learning how to reassemble it, I set it up in my room. I can access the old internet databases, since the satellites contain enough power to sustain them, but I can't get into newer systems for fear of detection. It doesn't matter; my internet has all kinds of interesting sites and games to occupy me. Mom works part time, so whenever I come home the house is normally empty, and I am free to play games until about 6 at night. Around that point, I hide my PC in my desk. I have to disassemble and reassemble it daily, but it beats sitting around and hoping for something to happen. I'm supposed to read while my parents are away; they have all these dumb books that they insist are the classics.

I use the Spark Notes and Wikipedia on my PC for the books in my parents' library. Very handy applications for just these situations. Tonight, my assigned novel is Macbeth, a play by my least favorite author. Macbeth is about this crazy 18th century guy who ends up doing a lot of stupid stuff and eventually becomes a king because he murdered some guy at a dinner party. Then he ends up going crazy, and he's really superstitious. Honestly, they could condense the play into a few sentences, and skip the mumbo-jumbo.

I begin to hear keys jangling by the door. I have really good hearing, so I recognize most sounds that others can't detect. I rapidly disassemble my computer and place the book at my side. It only needs a few sections; the mainframe, the monitor, the keyboard, and the hard drive. I scatter the parts between the drawers, taking a few choice ones and arranging them to look like I've been... "engineering" for a little while. It's my second day of reading Macbeth, so my parents will assume I've just finished it. The door opens and my mother climbs the stairs. I can distinguish her light footsteps, tired but not exhausted, coming from below to greet me, our afternoon ritual.

"Evening, Indigo. How was your day?" she comments, coming through my bedroom door.

"Ok, I guess. At school we built small rockets using our new metallurgic techniques," I lied. If we did anything near that fun, I'm sure Mr. Yakamushi would explode into thousands of little pieces. I didn't feel like telling her that we actually designed habitats for fire type Pokémon.

"Oh, how fun! Did you launch them?"

"No. Nobody else is finished with theirs yet. Mr. Yakamushi told me that he's probably not going to be able to get enough fuel for anything big, but we might shoot one or two of the best."

"I hope you didn't rush, sweetie. You tend to do that. I'm going to get dinner ready. If you're done reading I want you to come down and help me."

"Alright... I finished Macbeth."

"Already? My, you sure are a fast reader. Well, I will quiz you later."

"Ok Mom." I get up from my chair and walk downstairs. When Mom comes down, she pulls out a package of Torchic meat. As much as she tries to avoid Pokémon, we still have to eat them if we don't want to become vegetarians. We tend to stick with Torchic meat because it's heavily disguised by its packagers. Lots of people keep them as pets, so nobody wants to eat something that looks like their best friend. I snap and sauté green beans as she cooks the meat.

Not too long later, Dad comes home, and we eat our meal. He makes small talk with my mother and I, as I chomp the food hungrily. After a brief quiz from my parents about Macbeth, through which I inwardly groan, I head upstairs to shower and go to sleep. In the morning, my rigorous cycle of school and law-breaking will begin anew.

* * *

I wake up, and stretch out my arms. I hop from my bed and dress quickly before rushing downstairs to eat breakfast. Getting out of the house is another one of the few pleasures my life provides. I get up earlier than my parents, but leave just as they wake up. As I gobble down cereal, I mull over life. I graduate trade school in a year, but I haven't told anyone about this. Mr. Yakamushi called me aside once to talk to me about it. Because I don't take summer breaks, in the hotter months I practice advanced engineering that seems more like modern alchemy. I don't care, the sooner I have an education, the sooner I can leave home. When I do that, I'll finally be able to catch and train Pokémon, and there is nothing my parents can do about it. In Unova, you are considered of legal age when you can get a job, in my case, when I finish school. this is another of the semi-recent changes to start picking up the economy.

Dad walks down the hall in a bathrobe, holding a cup of coffee. He's the only one in our family who owns a Pokémon. Mom released hers, but Dad still keeps his trusty Arcanine around. He tells my mom it's for protection, but I knew he couldn't let his first partner go. He stays in his poké ball all the time for my sake though.

Upon opening the door and waving goodbye to my Dad, I begin my avid search for a Pokémon. I hope against all hope that a wild creature will come out of the bushes and simply happen to be friendly, so I can train it without using a Poké ball. At 200 bucks a pop, those suckers don't come cheap, and I don't have any way to get them through my parents.

None appear on the path to school, as usual. Upon arriving to school, I set my belongings in my locker. We don't usually lock up our stuff, since the five of us apprentices are bros. Aside from me, the best of them is Iggy, who is as close to a friend as I've ever gotten. Iggy didn't want to go on a Pokémon adventure; he wanted to study bioethics like his older brother. However, his parents insisted that he at least travel for a while so he would gain some maturity. For two months, Iggy went out from Anville town to Nimbasa City, then south to Sinnoh to study some of the various Galactic War memorials. Aside from his work at trade school, he is a history buff for modern wars. The Rocket war is his personal favorite; most of our conversations include a reference to it.

My relationship with Iggy is mildly strained. He owns a Marowak, and others, but when I told him I wasn't allowed to interact with Pokémon, he stopped talking about them. This is probably why he talks about wars, because there isn't much else to say. He told me once that it was his dream to build a Pokémon that would destroy any competitor, but wouldn't be vicious like Mewtwo. He wanted to build a Pokémon robot, essentially, and he figured engineering was the way to start. I told him that despite my personal wall separating me from Pokémon, I would help him someday achieve his dream.

Today I settle down at my work station. Mr. Yakamushi gives us a list of tasks each day and allows us to choose between them. I have the option of constructing a solar powered air conditioner from a partial blue print, while making sure it runs at an exceedingly low energy consumption rate, or taking a breadboard that is used by high grade physicists and creating a sonos replica system with the same parts that anyone could operate easily. These tasks don't appear challenging to me, because I've handled worse, and on days like this I usually ask Mr. Yakamushi if he has anything special for me.

I walk up to his desk to ask him about my tasks. On any given day, he waits for students to come ask questions, and he shows them the necessary techniques in relation to the jobs he's given us. He will only teach what we ask him, which he claims is conducive to the learning process because it encourages us to talk and communicate, and get over our fears of asking for help. That last part is mostly for Hector, a rotund boy most of us call Cubby for no particular reason. He was very shy, and only joined the trade school because he really likes cars. He hates doing anything that isn't automotive, so Mr. Yakamushi tries to give him jobs in the auto shop more than the rest of us.

In spite of his many personality quirks, deep down he's a very sensitive guy. I usually hate people like that, they get all emotional sometimes.

"Mr. Yakamushi, got anything new for me? I think I've done the same jobs before."

"No! I make sure. They new to you." One of his many oddities is his accent. I'm used to it; it's the dialect of Cherrygrove. At least he's not from Goldenrod city.

"So nothing else is available, then?" I sigh, knowing his answer already.

"…Something on your mind?"

"What?" I asked. This was an odd change of topic.

"You look dissatisfied."

"Well, I just wanted another job. Something harder, like the stuff we do in the summer."

"You should not lie when you aren't pleased with something. Come, I save something for you." Mr. Yakamushi gestured broadly to the auto shop. I followed him reluctantly, if there was something in here Cubby didn't do, then it was dependent on heavy manual labor.

"None of others are here, are they?" he asked, scanning the windows furtively.

"No, I'm the first one here."

"Then I have something to show you. You cannot tell other students. They get jealous." Mr. Yakamushi reached under one of the bricks in the wall to grab the power outlet. My mind was staring to turn its little figurative gears... something that would make people jealous? What could it be?

"I will show you my secret room. I keep special things in there. But I think you will understand them." He pulled at the outlet cover. Surprisingly, it popped off, revealing that the screws attaching it were only nails. He slid his arm to the side, feeling for something.

"Here is switch. It will open wall. You feel for it. I want you to know where is." He reached for my hand and shoved it through the gap, making me probe for the switch. As I felt the wall, my fingers brushed something plastic.

"You feel?" he asked absently.

"Yes, I do. I can find it again if I have to," I added, anticipating the next question. Yakamushi generally fires off one phrase right after the other.

"Good. Press it." He withdrew his hand from the wall I flicked the switch. It resonated with a click.

"Back up! Quickly!" I followed his instructions as the floor began to vibrate. Nine tiles in the shop, arranged in a square pattern, slid aside revealing a stair case.

"Now, follow me. It steep, and has traps."

"Traps? Why are there traps?"

"What we are doing is…erm... illegal," he said in a very tiny voice. "It used to be legal, but now it is not so."

This statement perked my interest. If Mr. Yakamushi was trusting me with something illegal, it only meant one thing to my ears. Computers. Perhaps loads of them. He immediately understood my eagerness to descend into the pit.

"When you come here, you must not touch red tiles on floor. Any of them can trigger sleeping gas." I nodded. In the dim light it was impossible to identify them, until Mr. Yakamushi pointed out one that was slightly darker than the rest. I sidestepped it, and its well-placed fellows, until we entered an antechamber.

"You can only close top from in here. I will leave you to enjoy everything in here as you will. When I call, you can close the door to the room. This button let you come and go," he finished, pointing to a red domed button on the wall.

He left, but I didn't care. I was focused upon the room, where rows upon rows upon rows of computer monitors sat untouched. Illegal? This was so contraband, if a cop saw it; he'd _shit out_ an arrest warrant.

"Coast is clear! You close door! Remember, don't tell anyone about this. I think you have one yourself, so I can trust you. You task is to get to know all of the computers. You come back as long as you want, when you do, just don't let anyone notice. I come back at lunch and talk with you about this place."

The remainder of my day was spent hammering codes feverishly upon every keyboard in sight, getting a feel for each kind, the old, the decidedly newer, the desktop, the laptop. I browsed the old internet, keyed in short memos about each computer, and in general gallivanted about the lab like a retarded Hoppip.

At about eleven o' clock, Mr. Yakamushi appeared in the doorway. It was too soon. I was busy a few seconds longer until he announced his presence.

"How you like?"

"It's amazing! All of these computers, just here for the taking. Where did you get them?" I ask.

"Well, I just found them. I was trying to fix the outlet. It used not to work. But I find switch, and I found this room. I got stuck by traps many times, but I found way in. Then I fixed up generator and learn computers."

"That's cool, but do you know who put this here?"

"No. This building was from the Rocket war. They had base in Unova here. After I found building I fix it up. Then I open trade school. You know rest of story."

"This is still really-" I started to say. A loud noise, shrill and metallic, but deep, echoed off all of the walls.

"MAGNA!"

"Who that? What that? Indigo!" Mr. Yakamushi frantically scanned the room. "Indigo! Sound dangerous!"

"Magna…Magna MIIIII."

"Wait Mr. Yakamushi, that sounds like a Pokémon. Is it a Magnemite?"

"Mag-MAG MITE."

"…You right. Is definitely. It coming… from cabinet there."

"Should we investigate?"

"Yes! Search for Magnemite. I open drawer." Mr. Yakamushi walked carefully to the steel filing cabinet in the corner. The gray metal was rusted in places, and many cords that went to computers in the room dangled from the drawers. The top drawer was the only one that didn't have any such cords. He opened that one first.

"Look! Look! It is Pokémon! It stuck very tight."

A Pokémon… in a place like this? I wonder how long it had been here. I dash over to Mr. Yakamushi and peer over his shoulder. Sure enough, a little Magnemite is squirming under a large book. It appears to be stuck to the steel cabinet.

"I can try to pull it off." I say, reaching for it. Mr. Yakamushi moves aside to let me through. I grab both magnets, and tug hard. The creature begins screeching violently.

"Magna! MAGNA! MIIIITE!" It releases a thundershock, which connects to my face. I let go as it tries to move. I rub the ash from my eyes. It must have singed my bangs.

"You hurt?" Mr. Yakamushi gazes at me in concern.

"No, I'm ok. It's not looking too good for poor Magnemite."

"I can't get it out either. We will have to wait for it to get used to us."

"Get used to us?"

"We come back often, and then it will trust us not to shock."

"Uh… if you say so."

"Trust me. I know lot about electric types. We go back up to auto shop. Iggy looking for you, and is lunch."

"Already?" I sigh, but follow Mr. Yakamushi from the chamber and out to the auto shop. We close the secret passage to enter the main part of the building; the workshop.

The workshop has 6 stations and a desk in the front. Several tools line the walls and many unfinished projects lay out in the open. My own station is empty.

"There you are! Jeez, what took so long?" Iggy says, walking from his station to us.

"I had punish him. He lied about the jobs he did today. I made him clean garage." Mr. Yakamushi says with mock disgust.

"Ouch. Well, let's go get lunch." I follow Iggy to the locker room, where we retrieve some money and head out the front door.

"You lied?" Iggy asks incredulously.

"I told him I already did most of today's jobs. So he gave me manual labor, since I wanted harder work."

"That Yakamushi! So weird, right?"

"Yeah," I say, trying to fake annoyance. Iggy falls for it.

"Where do you wanna go to eat? I'm thinking McPika's." I shrug. It tastes like crap.

"Nah. That place is too mainstream... Hey wait a minute," I say, tensing. I hear an odd commotion coming from the direction of town square. It sounds like scarping metal. "Something's going on at the town square."

"Let's check it out then." Iggy trusts me when I say stuff like this; he knows my hearing is unbelievable.

We arrive at the bridge over the railroad tracks. Below us, a congregation of people has gathered on the train platform. I notice a heavy set man with a Nidoking, and beside him are three more muscled men, each with an Armaldo. The Armaldo are scraping their arm scythes together, attracting some attention but not too much, as the sound doesn't span a wide radius.

"Attention, everyone, please!" says Nidoking-man. His booming voice makes it audible to anyone in the square or on the bridge. The crowd quiets down. Already I have a bad feeling about this.

"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to listen. My name is Garrett." Garrett has slicked brown hair and a scowl upon his face that seems stuck there. The crowd begins to murmur.

"I run a police squadron," continued Garrett. "Three of my top representatives and I are taking reconnaissance. We've received intelligence that a large stash of computers, illegal hacking devices under clause twenty four of the Galactic Legislation, has been located in the city." The crowd gasped collectively. The audience had grown, and there was a crowd beginning to assemble on the bridge too. Me and Iggy melted from view within it.

"Anyone with information regarding the law breakers in question will receive a hefty reward if his or her tip leads to an arrest. We hope for your cooperation while we search for the perpetrator. Contact me or one of my associates if you meet any suspicious characters. That is all." The group of policemen dispersed, walking from the dais to the Pokémon center.

The audience all began talking in hushed voices. Many went about their way, walking carelessly to their jobs and homes.

I began to shake nervously. The "Lawbreakers in question" were clearly me and Yakamushi. Not only had I been on my computer for years; Yakamushi had a whole computer bank. Someone must have seen me, heard me, SOMETHING must have gone wrong.

"Something wrong, Indigo?" Iggy says, looking sideways at me.

More than wrong, but spilling the beans here in public doesn't strike me as a good idea. "No, this is just… disturbing. Something like this doesn't ever happen here." I say slowly. Iggy doesn't seem to buy it.

"You know something about this, don't you?"

"No! It's not that," I say. "Look, I need to talk to you in private. Can we go to your house?"

"Sure…" Iggy says suspiciously. I may have fooled him earlier, but he isn't completely dense. _He must know._ He glances at the Pokémon center, where the cops are probably hanging up my wanted poster.

* * *

We walk in silence to Iggy's house. It's a quiet, one floor home with a small attic. That's Iggy's room. The house backs to the forest, and has a small garden out front with berries for the wild Pokémon. On a few occasions before, I've been invited over. Usually our encounters are rather boring, but once he showed me how to climb the gutter to get to his room, if I ever needed to sneak out. It was an appealing concept back in the day.

He seems to think more... sentimentally of our friendship than I do.

When we enter, he greets him mom at the door and asks her to make PB+J sandwiches for us. Then we walk up to the attic.

"What the hell is the matter with you? You're all sweaty and jittery. You need to calm down." Iggy says.

"I need to tell you something," I start to say. I don't know why but an overwhelming urge to say something overcomes me. I'll literally be eaten up on the inside if I have to keep this a secret all by myself. I've got plenty of secrets but... this one feels so different. "You... can't tell anyone, Ok?"

"If it has to do with the computers…" he starts, but trails off. I can tell he's feuding with his two selves.

What a patriotic idiot. I guess that's all you get from history buffs, they evolve into faithful informants. It reminds me slightly of a Herdier or a Lillipup.

"No. It's not that," I say calmly. "I actually don't know anything about that." Iggy visibly relaxes. "I'm having a serious problem though."

"Ok, you can tell me. I won't let anyone else find out, if it's not illegal."

"I…found... a wild Pokémon." I say, getting it all out at once. Whew, I didn't mess it up.

"That's it? Indigo, you're getting all worked up over that? It's great you found a Pokémon! I know you've always been looking for one."

"It's bigger than that though. It's a Magnemite. It's stuck inside a steel filing cabinet. It was out back behind the auto shop. It looked like it was just filled with trash but a wild Magnemite got stuck in it."

"So? Why not get it out?"

"It shocked me when I reached for it. So… I didn't actually do any cleaning. I just sort of hung around it, trying to make it trust me."

"So… you're worried Mr. Yakamushi is gonna be pissed that you brushed off punishment? And about that poor Magnemite, right?"

"Yeah. That's basically it. But now with those cops patrolling the place I don't want to go hang out at that cabinet. If they see me… well it looks suspicious right? So they might tell my mum and dad. Then I'm REALLY in for it."

"Hmm. It doesn't seem too serious to me." Iggy takes a breath to talk to me about it, but the door to his room opens.

"I brought you kids sandwiches! Eat up!" Iggy's mom places the sandwich tray on the floor. The sandwiches sit there, staring back at me, admonishing me for not having the tough guts to tell the truth.

But that would only get me in a jail cell... or worse.

"Thank you, Ms. Shapiro." I say quickly, eager to eat the damn things and be done with it.

"No problem, Indigo! And don't make a mess, Iggy!" She closes the door, leaving us in peace. I pull the tray between us and we eat our lunch.

"Anyway, what you need to do…" Iggy bites and swallows, "Is tell Mr. Yakamushi about the Magnemite. Just say you found it and weren't sure what to do while you were cleaning. You probably won't be able to just leave it there. Maybe he can bring it into the shop and get it unstuck.

"He'll still tell my parents though."

"There's not much you can do about that, if you want to get serous help. You can try to get it off yourself, you know all about metallurgy."

"But I don't know how it can affect a living Pokémon. I don't want to hurt it." While this is true, I know I'm starting to tangle myself in too deeply with the lies. What if Iggy went out back and saw that there was no cabinet? What if he offers to help?

"Well, I can try to help you get it off."

"No offense Iggy," I say, taking a bite of the sandwich in my hand. The dry texture makes my tongue stick to my mouth. I swallow, and talk in a blur. "I just want to get it off of there myself. I want it to be my Pokémon, nobody else's." Iggy looks shocked, but nods approvingly.

"That's pretty tough to say, but I know what you mean. It gives you satisfaction to solve these sorts of things yourself. That said, there isn't much I can do to help you. It's like living in Fiore during the Rocket war; I'm too far away from this."

"Thanks for listening anyway; I knew I could trust you." I sound like such a cry baby. Oh well, Iggy doesn't question my rare lapse in toughness. Extremely rare, if I might add.

"No prob." We finish our sandwiches and head out. Iggy waves good bye to his mom and I thank her for lunch.

When we arrive back at trade school, I look at poor Mr. Yakamushi. Judging from his chipper mood, he hasn't heard the news. He could have just gone down to the computer lab, in fact. He might have already sealed his fate.

The other apprentices, Jasper, Cubby and Mike are all gathered around Mr. Yakamushi. He's showing them a technique that I already know. Iggy goes over to watch in fascination. I stand aside to look. It's just a smarter way of using wire, by making precision splits through the middle.

"Hello Iggy, Indigo. I'm teaching new technique. Well, you know it Indigo. You can just go work or something. Go on, shoo!" He gestures broadly to the side, to the auto shop. I know what he's trying to hint at, but I wouldn't dare risk it. I simply walk into the shop to temporarily placate him. He finishes his demonstration and the others head off to practice it.

Mr. Yakamushi walks into the auto shop. He looks surprised to see me simply standing here.

"I left you perfect distraction. Now there no chance either of us can get down now! What is on your mind, boy?" he whispers.

"Mr. Yakamushi… I need to talk to you about something… When I was in the town square today, there was an announcement, and it's really concerning… the lab."

He looked confused, then worried. "Come into my office. We will talk." We head through the main chamber, while some of the others stare at me, particularly my expression, and then we go into a separate room. A large desk strewn with various machines and tools is pushed against a back wall. The table is stained with varnish and a number of chemicals. The rest of the room is bare except for a poster hung up on the cream wallpaper. It is a photo of our class from last year. A sixth apprentice aside from the rest of us is there, a girl named Beatrice. She was a brunette, stuck up bitch who I particularly despised. She's gone now, thank Arceus.

"What is going on?" said Mr. Yakamushi as he shut the door.

"At the town square today there was a small gang of police, led by a guy named Garrett," I said in a rush. "They said that they received intelligence about a stash of computers in the area. I got really worried, because I knew they had to be talking about ours."

Mr. Yakamushi stared vacantly for a moment. A small frown etched itself onto his face.

"Did you do anything?" he said at last, composing himself and focusing on me. "Did you tell them? How close to them were you?" He grabbed onto the front of my shirt and looked me in the eye. His face appeared desperate for knowledge.

"No, sir. I was on the bridge; I was in the crowd with Iggy. I was about 50 yards away, there's no way they know, but I-"

Mr. Yakamushi looked relieved, interrupting me. "What did Iggy and you say to each other afterwards?"

"He saw me shiver slightly. So I went to his house and lied to him about it. I told him that I had actually found a steel cabinet while I was cleaning the auto shop. I told him I found a Magnemite that was stuck in it. I also told him that I was worried that if I hung around the cabinet trying to fix the situation, it would strike anyone as suspicious, and I didn't want to get caught up in whatever was going on. He believed me."

Mr. Yakamushi frowned. "Violating a friend's trust should not be done lightly. I glad you honest to me, but sad that you lied to Iggy. A lie is worse than the ill-fated truth."

"Are you saying I should have told him? He would have immediately reported us! I know he would, he said he would."

"He was honest in the face of a tough decision. That what friendship is. But you shouldn't have told him anything at all. In the future, you must learn to discipline your reactions. That will prevent you from lying again."

"Ok… but what do we do about this?"

"We do nothing. We do not speak of lab again. Not until Garrett and his men leave." I nodded.

"I will pretend to get mad. You will have to clean out the garage, since you told Iggy that you didn't, but should have. Consider it karma for lying."

I nod, even though he seriously confused me. I'm guessing that he said something about cleaning the garage as a distraction for the real conversation. I don't really care. I'll do all the cleaning in the world if it means I keep my freedom.

Mr. Yakamushi opens the door. "I told you to clean! You should not be slacking! GET BUSY!" I nod, dashing through the auto shop. Iggy has a sympathetic look; the other apprentices look confused at this odd outburst. Iggy explains the "situation."

* * *

Several hours later, with many sympathetic remarks from Cubby, the garage is clean. I tell Mr. Yakamushi and head for home. Iggy left a while ago, but Jasper and Mike are cleaning up their stations. Mike doffs his baseball cap. It has the team Electabuzz logo on it.

I walk slowly from the school to home. It's later than I usual, so I assume my mother is at home. I wonder if she's heard the news. Knowing her, she probably won't. I will have to tell her myself, or just not say anything. Yeah, that would be better. After all, that was Mr. Yakamusi's advice.

The door opens slightly as I approach the front steps. My father, a brown-haired, thin man with silvery glasses, is standing on the doormat. He looks tired, angered, and in general, unhappy.

"Son?" says Dad. "What's this?" In his hands he holds…

The mouse to my own computer. Its pieces were squashed together in a hurry, but it resembles enough of itself to prove recognizable as illegal.

"It's… uh…"

"Do you know what was announced in the square today?"

"Yes." I try to maintain a poker face; this is not something I can reveal if I want to live.

"Be honest. Were they talking about… You?"

"No! I only have this! I was saving it… I wanted to learn about it."

"What were the other pieces in your room for, then?" Mom adds, coming to the doorway, holding a box of various parts that I instantly recognize. Her thin form is having trouble lifting all of the fragments; I can see her shaking and hear the floorboards creak below her. She sets down the box. Shit, I think, I've been discovered. My life, solitary and unfortunate but my life nonetheless, flashes before my eyes. Something like this is a death sentence. Unless Garrett doesn't find out. I still have to answer mom's question.

"Well, I thought those might go with it. So I kept them in case they were… useful." I said, trying to search for the words.

Wrong choice. "Useful? USEFUL?! THIS IS ILLEGAL! I WILL NOT HAVE A SON UNDER MY ROOF WHO CANNOT FOLLOW SIMPLE LAWS!" Dad roared, barraging my ears in a frenzied rage.

"Dad, I-"

"NO! NO EXCUSES! Officer Garrett, take him away!" The door opens wider, revealing the Nidoking-man and his cohorts. They are holding several disarming devices, including a Taser, and several pairs of handcuffs. All numbers of equipment are staring me in the face.

They madly dash towards me, they bloodshot eyes bursting at the seams with malice and hatred.


	3. The Chase, Part Two

Read Honchrows Black and White Pokedex entry. It will clear up a lot of plot confusion for you. try checking Bulbapedia for it.

* * *

Death threats really get a person moving, you know. I tore up the ground, running into the woods as far as my feet could carry me. Some of the men collapsed on the ground where I would have been, but Garrett and two of the Armaldo were still chasing me, leaping over the others for a good chance at catching me. The Pokémon don't gain much ground, but Garrett is approaching fast, and I don't have much energy to run. I bank lefts, hard rights, even run over a creek with a fallen log for a bridge.

His efforts were relentless though. No matter how much distance I create, he covers it, and the rest of the group soon join him in the chase. The taser is still in their pockets, as if they savor the old fashioned hunt.

Now accompanying them are a veritable army of Houndoom and Arcanine, gaining ground too far too fast for me to escape. The largest but thinnest of the snarling pack reaches me first, using his paws to pinion me to the ground. He lets off small embers with each breath, singing my cheek and making me squirm with discomfort. The sweat from my brow seems to evaporate instantly, the salty tang in my throat replaced by unquenchable thirst. I know that worse awaits me.

The men and the other Pokémon immediately surround me. One of them hefts me to a sitting position, while the others chain both of my legs and arms together, preventing further escape. Garret himself fastens an object similar to a dog collar around my throat. The cold metal surface tingles. He grabs the chain to it and pulls me to a standing position. After frisking me for anything that might be in my possession, they push me back the way we came. It happens so fast I have no time to think, let alone breathe.

I walk too slowly for them. Often they use sticks and twigs to beat me about the legs to make me move faster, and several times their Pokémon do the prodding. The Arcanine that caught me is being rubbed affectionately about the head by Garrett.

Our trip is made in silence. The few wild Nidoran we come across squeal and run at the sight of Nidoking, and all of the grass and bug types quiver in fear of the mighty fire dog pack. I decide to count them. Nine…ten… there were about eleven total of the sadistic bastards. These cops sure didn't mess around.

But I'm not surprised. For all of my rationalizations, I know that the computer hacking was the worst during the war. Almost everyone has probably lost one Pokemon or another at some point because of it. It's also why there are so many wild Pokemon around that can be easily tamed by children; the purist groups that released them made sure that only the kind ones got away.

* * *

When we reach the edge of the town again, a small crowd is waiting. My slow footsteps give them plenty of time to jeer, but for the most part, they refrain from coming too close because of the officers. Many are booing and throwing things. I notice Iggy in the back, wide eyed and scared. I scowl and turn my head away from the onlookers. Garrett lightly whips the chain on my metal collar. I wince. A Tamato berry collides with my face, the spiky surface drawing some blood. Slathered with the spicy juice, my nostrils take a nose dive and I sneeze loudly, to the enjoyment of the crowd.

My eyes begin to water uncontrollably. I suppose everyone mistook it for crying. Who cares, I think to myself, I'm dead anyway. Whatever they think of me is trivial. I sniffle and cough.

The police push me straight to the town square, next to the train platforms. By now, most of the town's residents are following or watching us. There is much more heckling from behind and around me. Try as I can to tune it out, I can't establish any reasonable train of thought with all of this racket. A half-baked plan comes to me, escape somehow then run away to Johto, go back to my hometown of Ectruteak city and live out the remainder of my life as a Kimono girl in disguise.

It's a terrible plan though, I know it. Before I can think up a better scheme, I feel myself trip. I'm being pushed to the square, down the stairs. My fall catches the cops off guard, and I tumble down with them, balled up in a big rolling mess.

I catch my wits quickly enough, and before they have time to leap to their feet I'm off running to the nearest train, which is thankfully moving. I dash full force in my restricted state, and though I have shorter strides, I am able to reach for the caboose and climb aboard. The crowd gives chase, but they are mere Shuckle compared to the officers hurtling after me. It's a miracle any of the chains slipped out of their grasp. I begin climbing the ladder of the train to get to the roof and hopefully slip into a car, sweat spiraling down my brow.

The platform is too far away for the men to catch up on foot. Just when I think I might be safe, the men recall their Houndoom, Armaldo and Nidoking, only to release Pidgeot, Skarmory, Honchkrow and one Swellow. Garrett rides astride the Pidgeot, and the three others are following closely. I know that Honchkrow are especially violent, and have the ability to call Murkrow to their sides. The sun is already fading fast, and with it, my chance of escape. The "Summoner of Night" is in its league, slowly advancing faster than Garrett's Pidgeot.

I hear its deep throat caw loudly, almost jarring off its rider, but eliciting many small caws in response.

The Murkrow are on the way. I waste no more time thinking and move across the top of the train. In my already exhausted state, I can't outrun the Murkrow. Jumping into a car would corner me, if I couldn't escape fast enough, jumping off would make me Pokémon fodder. I need to find a pin to break the locks, and a bathroom, so I can hide. I take the risk and drop from the roof to one of the cars. I pull a small pin from the connecting segment, hopefully it won't harm anyone. I'm a criminal for having a PC, not committing manslaughter after all.

The pin is in fact a bobby pin, which was very precariously dropped on the edge, by some miracle. I can't thank Arceus enough for this, even though I'm not religious. I enter the train car, hoping nobody questions my appearance, or better yet, I go unnoticed. My prayers to Arceus are answered again; there is a bathroom directly to the left and it is unoccupied. This car houses only cargo, but does have a few benches towards the front and one round table. It must be for the employees. I might be close to the conductor's car and engine room.

I hop in the bathroom. There is a window, but doesn't overlook the toilet, and is too small to squeeze through. I stand in front of the mirror and begin to pick the locks.

The locks aren't exactly easy to break though. I can tell almost right away how they were made; they were tempered under intense fire and will not bend. In addition, the adjustable parts of the cuffs are composed of several more locks than just one requiring a key. One lock is a keypad code. It changes the code every time I get the code wrong, but the lock gives me one hint each time, shown on an LCD display.

"Xatu and Flygon hold the answers"

"The Eons begin with a red sunrise"

"A Legend and a disaster strike the chord"

The lock continues to cycle these patterns. The other two locks also have screens, but have gone dark. I try to think about these. Xatu and Flygon are Psychic, Flying, Ground and Dragon types, they both can fly, they live in deserts… both of them evolve. I try punching random numbers. After six digits, it changes screens. The code must be six digits, then. The Eons doesn't make any sense to me, but something to do with red sunrise. I put in the code for red sun, 733786. It switches to the Legend and disaster hint. The disaster Pokémon is Absol, that's obvious. There are a lot of legendary Pokémon, but I try to think of one that has something to do with disasters. There's Mewtwo, but I don't think that's right. Absol is a canine Pokémon, so are Raikou, Entei and Suicune. I put in the code for canine, 226463. Nothing unusual happens.

Puzzle solving was never my forte. If I could only get some tools, or a fire…

Fire! That's it! I take the metal between the palms of my hands and strike it towards the toilet paper. The sparks dance but don't catch. I try until I get a small flare.

"YES! I DID-" I'm cut off by the smoke detector. Its incessant beeping warns of my impending peril.

"Aww, shit!" I don't have much time, I start burning the metal. My skin begins to heat up ever so slightly as well. I still have the foot locks to deal with, but if necessary, I might be able to jump with them on.

The metal is beginning to yield to a few strong pulls. I've caught my breath but I'm still exhausted from my earlier escapades. I can't keep this up and there's nowhere to hide. As soon as I can tear my hands sufficiently from the flame, I'm gonna run down the car all the way to the conductor, and I plan to threaten him to speed this puppy up, figure out where he's heading or hijack the train. I'm already a wanted criminal, so why the fuck not?

I'm feeling rather free like this. It's all or nothing, either I win or I lose. I'm up against trained professionals, but I have the element of surprise on my side.

A Murkrow collides with the window. I have even less time to plan my escape. Suddenly, someone knocks on the door.

"Yo, Adrian! You smokin' again? I told you to do that in the caboose, not the bathroom. You trying to get fired, boy?" It sounds like an employee. I tug one final time at my handcuffs. They loosen! Taking a look at the mirror, I see how to slip my hands out. The only problem is it will probably burn them in the process. I inhale and then twist my arms frantically.

"YEEEEOOOOOOWWW!" I screech. The metal is white hot against my skin, and I can't take the blinding pain. More Murkrow collide with the window. I quickly rinse off my hands in the sink, tears welling in my eyes.

"Who the hell is in there? OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR!" He knocks harder, whoever he is. I squat down to the locks at my feet. They don't require much effort to pick up and loosen, and within seconds I'm finally free. I prepare myself, grabbing the handcuffs, and open the door.

A chubby middle aged man is looking back at me. I throw the handcuffs at his chest, to distract him. He feels the heat, leaping away with a yelp. I run forward.

"I'm… almost there… come on…" I encourage myself. I'm breathing heavily, perhaps a result of inhaling some of the smoke. I slam open the car door to find another cargo bay. The freight provides many hiding spots but is difficult to navigate. I sit on the floor and proceed to crawl around the various suitcases. There is very little light; the sun has probably just set. The car is glowing yellow in the dusky glow.

I hear a sound I desperately want to avoid. It's Garrett's booming voice.

"Indigo! Indigo Noburi! Where are yooouuu?" I flinch as his gentle cries shake the car. A stack of suitcases begins to wobble next to me, so I hold it up to prevent him from noticing. It leaves me safe, but only for a short time. When I move, he'll notice.

Garrett's footsteps mar the floor, leaving faint trails of mud in his wake. I hear his boots click; he knows that he has cornered his prey. He is _enjoying_ it.

He pauses. "HAH!" He shouts, startling me and causing the suitcases to fall.

"There you are!" He chirps with odd, false kindness, like a mother praising a baby. He walks my way, and I see his looming shadow encroaching, blocking the glowing dusk. Just as the day is, my time is up.

I'm buried under the suitcases. I try to squirm out from under them, but I cannot move. He moves several out of his way before crouching next to me.

"You stuck?" He says in amusement. I glare at him wordlessly. I cannot even begin to express my rage.

"I'll help you get out of there," he says with a slightly menacing smile. From his pocket, he pulls out the Taser I saw earlier. Nowadays, weapons like this are fairly rare. Most guns were already destroyed prior to the Galactic war, let alone disabling guns that were almost nonexistent in the first place.

"Now, if you hold real still, this won't hurt, ok?"

"Garrett," I say, ready to speak my last words. "I have to tell you something."

"What's that?" he says, exaggerating his gestures by holding his ear to my face. He smiles, completely distracted by the charade. he is a perfect target.

I spit into his ear. He leaps up, trying to get the saliva out. After a few seconds, he looks at me and fires the Taser into my chest, without remorse. After several seconds of odd seizures and blurred vision, I lose consciousness.

The last thing I notice are his eyes, bright and expressive before, but dulled by the pain of thousands before him.


	4. Pursuit and Assist

I wake up in a dimly lit room. I'm sitting in a small plastic chair. I try to move, but my hands are immobilized by something. It doesn't feel like metal, this time. I can't quite explain the feeling, but it's not pleasant, I can assure you.

The poor light illuminates a square, gray table in front of me. I try to scoot the chair around, but it doesn't move. All I can do is wait for something to happen. I look down at myself. I'm in a white shirt with a navy jacket. I tug at the jacket with my teeth. It is attached to the shirt. Its fabric is rather swishy and a badge with my initials is embroidered into it. I'm still in my jeans, at least, but I can tell the pockets are empty.

After what seems like ages, a man appears. He's wearing a white polo shirt, and his ashen black hair is slightly disheveled. He wears round glasses that remind me of my father a little. This man appears much younger though, I'd guess around 26.

"Hello, Indigo. You can call me Mr. Saoru."

"Uh… Hello, Mr. Saoru."

"So... how do you feel?"

Really? That's the first question? "A little weird I guess. What do you want from me?"

"I'm here to make this whole thing as easy as possible for you. You know you were convicted of a dangerous crime, often dealt with by capital punishment, right?"

"...Yes." I shudder at the words involuntarily. The room is rather drafty after all.

"Alright then. You should understand that leaves you with very few options. I also hear you've been studying engineering at trade school, right?"

"Yes…" I say. I wonder if this might involve Mr. Yakamushi.

"From what we know, you were a very gifted student. You were the top of your class, even when Beatrice was there. Isn't that true?"

I hide my micro-expression, the fleeting second where I scowl as I think of her. I try to be as civilized as possible; after that stunt with Garret, I doubt I have anything left to defend myself with."I guess it is. I never really cared about the ranking system," I say nonchalantly. Of course I cared about the ranking system; it had been the only way to shut Beatrice up for years.

"Workers of your caliber are hard to come by. Given the fact that only parts of a computer were located at your house, rather than an entire setup as your parents suspect, we're willing to offer you a trade."

This is interesting. They don't know about the lab, or the Magnemite, at least that's the impression he gives. I don't have much to offer in return for his "trade," but living sounds really nice to me right now. "What are you asking for?"

"Names. Where did you get the computer pieces, who else do you know has computers? If you can pinpoint the location of enough people, we're willing to let you go free."

I pause. Revealing Mr. Yakamushi's lab is condemning all of that glorious knowledge, and him. How could I?

"Are you willing to comply?"

A friend's trust is not to be violated lightly, I think with disdain. That's what Mr. Yakamushi told me. But if I keep quiet, I won't be around anymore, and I really don't want to die like this, or at all, well, except of old age.

"There's something I need to know first. What happens to me after you release me?"

"...That's IF we feel your evidence is sufficient, Indigo. We'll likely send you back home, and you may continue life as always. When you graduate trade school, we'll offer you a position for the government, where you can put your knowledge of computers to _legal_ use."

I think about his statement. It sounds like this is one of those offers you can't pass up; either I rat Yakamushi out or I die. That's what it sounds like to me, anyway. I can't go on with that kind of life, but I can't go on without ANY life...

"What if I decline? I was hoping to go on a journey after I graduated."

"You never went on a journey?" the man seems falsely surprised. I bet he knows all about my life from my stupid parents. Either they get a perfect child or they rat me out to the government. I always hated them anyway; it's always been me fending for myself.

"No. My sister Crystal went on one, and six weeks later she was found dead." At least I get the shock factor.

"That explains a lot about you, then. Well, you'll simply have to change plans. Indigo, we're making you an offer that you can't refuse."

"...I understand."

"So are you providing us with any names?"

I think carefully, about Iggy, My no-good family, that Magnemite, and most of all, Yakamushi. As I open my mouth to speak, however, the lights in the room come on full force. A red light begins turning, and a siren resembling a fire alarm wails. I can see a little more of the room. There is no other furniture, but there is a door, and it's thick.

"ALL OFFICIALS REPORT TO THE SECOND FLOOR MEETING HALL. ABSOLUTELY ALL PERSONNEL MUST REPORT TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CONFERENCE HALLS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL, I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THAT IS ALL." The siren wails louder as the announcement ends.

"I'm in the middle of a damn confession here…" mumbles Mr. Saoru. He turns to face me and pulls out a poké ball.

"Return, Kadabra." A yellow beam of light shoots out behind me and a Pokémon is drawn into it. My hands drop from the back of the chair. This Kadabra must have been restraining me with psychic powers.

"Now, Indigo, don't move. You'll be here for a little while. Think carefully about your answer." He walks out the now visible door. I hear the tumbler lock click in place. I walk to the door to investigate it. It's too reinforced to break down myself. The lock doesn't have any holes I can try to pick it with, either. The knob itself, however, is surprisingly detachable. I decide not to try escape yet, I want to hear what's going on.

I put my ear to the door and listen. The conference hall is drowned out by the overpowering siren. After a few minutes, it stops, and I can hear words faintly.

"In the… almost got him… What's…? On?" I hear. I assume that Mr. Saoru is asking what's going on. He thinks he's almost got me. That's good to know.

"Doing… interference check… second time. Now, we… choice… must retaliate." Something happened that has already happened recently. I try to think of anything that's been reported in the news lately. Nothing comes to mind.

That alone makes me wonder what kind of a place I am in.

"Can't let… Already risky… must be rational…"

"We've… similar. Just… stay course."

"Hold… bulletin from…They… ACTION?!" That last word is loud and clear. An uproar ensues. I stop eavesdropping and take off the door knob. Underneath I see the complex tumbler lock. I need to press several pressure points at once.

I look around the room for something I can use to help me pick the lock. A pencil sharpener and a mug sit in the corner.

The mug is empty, except from a golf pencil that is horribly broken. I pick up the shards and walk to the sharpener. I file each piece down, taking the largest and placing it in my pocket. I grab the mug for good measure.

Once back at the door, I use the pieces to tap several pressure points. Many of them I have trouble with, but after getting six at the same time, the door unlocks. I replace the handle and scatter the pieces around the room, deliberately placing one at the foot of my chair, so that if necessary I can kick it upwards. I still don't think my plan will work, and it's nice to have a backup.

I open the door gingerly. Nobody is in the hall. I run out of the chamber and go right. I make another turn into an adjacent hallway. A stairwell is at its end.

As I run, I hear the voices quiet down. The conference hall must be at the other end of this floor. Upon reaching the stairwell, I try to open the door. It's not locked, but heavy objects bar the other side. I peek through the window. Six stacked steel chairs impede my escape. I push harder, as hard as I can, but to no avail. I pull the door, just in case, but still nothing happens.

There is an assortment of rooms behind me. If I hide in one of them, I might be able to wait until the chairs are moved, then escape that way. Or, more criminals might be in these rooms. Maybe they can help me escape. I look back to the room I was in. There is a plaque on the door, with a piece of paper stuck in it. It reads,

INTERROGATION ROOM, 424. DESIGNATED AT THIS TIME FOR: INDIGO NOBURI. WANTED FOR ILLEGAL COMPUTER USE. AGE 16, MALE. POSSIBLE CONNECTION TO OTHER COMPUTER USERS.

I look to the door next to it. There is a plaque, but it is blank. Going down the hall reveals several more such blank plaques, but one or two have words on them. None of them look like helpful inmates, though.

INTERROGATION ROOM, 413. DESIGNATED FOR LISA NAMUDURI. WANTED FOR THREE ACCOUNTS OF MURDER. AGE 25, FEMALE. CAUTION: HAS BIPOLAR DISORDER.

INTERROGATION ROOM, 406. DESIGNATED FOR BRYCE JOHNSON. WANTED FOR ILLEGAL DRUG OPERATIONS. AGE 39, MALE. GANG INVOLVEMENT HIGHLY SUSPECTED.

The final door appears more fascinating. For some reason, I think that this person will be the most likely to help me.

INTERROGATION ROOM, 401. DESIGNATED FOR EMILIO KUDAN. WANTED FOR ILLICIT ACTIVITIES MADE CLASSIFIED. AGE 9, MALE. CAUTION: WILL NOT HESITATE TO ATTACK IF RELEASED. DO NOT OPEN THIS DOOR.

The fact that this kid is nine and has committed a classified crime is moderately impressive. He must have been bribed by some old weird-ass koot or he is a criminal genius. But, he could also have mental issues.

Wouldn't they say that though, like with the bipolar chick?

I turn the knob. The door is locked. From my pocket, I grab my remaining pencil shard. I use it to snap off the door knob and hit the pressure points. I successfully do so, and open the door. The room is completely dark.

"Emilio, are you in here?"

"…groooh…"

"Emilio? I'm here to help you escape. My name is Indigo. I was arrested for having a computer. I need your help if we're going to get out. Do you understand?"

"Groooh?" I hear. The voice is faint, but a distinctive questioning trill marks the end of his groan.

"Are you ok? Can you talk? What's the matter?"

"Grooov… Grooovyle…"

"Grovyle? What about it? Is something wrong? Is there a Grovyle in here?"

"Grooo… Groooh…"

I've had enough. I feel the wall, hoping to find a light switch of some kind. My hand brushes something plastic, the light I had been searching for. I flick the tiny switch to see the room in stark contrast to what I was expecting.

A Grovyle was sprawled on the floor. It was asleep. It was the source of the odd groaning. A boy, perhaps Emilio, is sitting in a chair. A glass divider separates him from the rest of the room. Rather than relying on psychic Pokémon to hold him back, his captors went with physical restraints. He is tied to the chair, which is bolted to the floor. His arms are duct-taped to the chair.

I don't understand how anyone could be this cruel. Emilio is only 9, after all. He is squirming wildly and yelling, but the glass appears soundproofed.

"Emilio, can you hear me?"

He nods and mouths something. I can't tell what though.

"What are you saying? I can't hear you."

His eyes open wide and he shifts his gaze rapidly between me and the Grovyle. I turn to face the Wood Gecko Pokémon. It is awake, and standing up slowly. It yawns loudly, scratching its head.

"Groo…vy? GROOOH!" It leaps up, noticing the open door. It faces its captive, and then it locks eyes with me. I take a step back. It is still stunned, but recognition is beginning to sink into it.

"Grr…" it growls. A leaf blade is gathering slowly in its palm, the odd leaves appearing out of thin air, then swirling and spiraling into a recognizable blade. Rather than settle into a single beam of grassy pain, the leaves continue their enigmatic motion, only becoming tighter, weaving dangerously and exposing shark edges and painful points as it curves malliciously in the Pokemon's hands.

"VYLE!" It lunges suddenly for my throat. It barely connects, and a single drop of blood spills onto the makeshift sword. It's either warning me, or it has terrible accuracy.

"Don't hurt me, Grovyle. There was an emergency meeting called. Absolutely everyone is supposed to go back to the conference hall, even Pokemon. I'm just here to inform you." Grovyle pauses. His leaf blade becomes less solid.

"Groooh." Grovyle points to the door and begins to walk. I follow him half-heartedly, winking back at Emilio. He smiles appreciatively, but he appears uncertain still.

Attack if released, my ass.

I follow the Grovyle and point to the end of the hall. "I still have to get the other guards. Just wait at the door and listen. Try not to interrupt the meeting, ok?"

The Grovyle nods and runs down the hall, turning the corner. I go back into Emilio's room.

"Is this glass alarmed? Will anything happen if I break it?"

Emilio nods. His gaze shifts to a small mechanical lock-system, on my side of the glass. It must function as the alarm. It's pressed next to the wall.

"Do you know how it works?"

He nods again.

"Try and mouth the words slowly."

"_If the glass breaks... then the alarm goes off. It is set off by the loud noise. If you can break the glass quietly, that would help. It can also be activated from vibrations. You can only break a portion of the glass to prevent that from being a problem."_

"Thank you. After I get you out of here, we need to bust down a door. After that, there isn't anything I know about." He nods in understanding.

How to break a portion of glass quietly proves a difficult challenge without the proper tools. I immediately think of a glass cutter, wishing one existed in my hand right now. I will have to find some alternative.

"I'm going out of this room to find some tools. Do you know of a good place to check?"

"_At the end of the hall, there is an employee break room. It is next to the conference room. You might find a can opener, if you're lucky_."

"Thank you. I'll get you out of this soon." Again he nods appreciatively.

He's pretty smart. I wonder if he's ever left that cell. I kind of tear up, keeping a kid locked up like that is just... unforgivable. Was I kidnapped by terrorists or am I in the matrix? I don't even know at this point.

I walk out to the hall. Wait... the break room is next to the conference room? I might run into Grovyle, or worse, and these are chances that I certainly don't want to take.

I stealthily walk towards the end of the hall. After I turn the corner, it should be in sight. I straighten up, prepared to nonchalantly walk towards the employee break room.

Grovyle is nowhere to be seen. Questionable, but convenient enough. I walk a little faster and reach the conference hall before I see the break room. A window is next to the conference room, in place of a section of wall. It goes from the floor to the ceiling. For all I know this wall is one way glass. I have very little hope of walking past undetected. I listen closer to the conversation before darting to the food area.

"There's a serious problem with the commander's plan though, and we all know it," finishes someone angrily.

"Now, that's not to say we shouldn't have some blind trust. The commander is brilliant."

"Blind trust? Are you kidding?" says one incredulously. "Blowing up that entire-"

"Stop, men. We have an eavesdropper." I break into a panicked sweat. In a few seconds, I'll be caught. I don't waste any time and I break into a run. The door to the conference hall opens. Several people pour out before I hear Mr. Saoru.

"IT'S INDIGO! HE'S ESCAPING!" Several men begin to rush in my direction. I turn the corner and duck into Emilio's room.

"I've been seen! There's no time! We have to get out now!" I thrust my shoulder against the glass, to the young boy's surprise. Some of the pieces dig through my clothes and into my skin, but I don't feel the pain. The adrenaline is enough.

I yank the ropes from Emilio furiously. He coughs up some blood and spits out a glass shard from his mouth. He must have accidentally gotten one lodged in his throat. I yank the duct tape away, rather harshly, and grab his arm. He runs alongside me, a little slow, but trying his best to keep up. We gain some momentum flying out the door.

Our pursuers have just turned the corner. Several skid to a halt seeing Emilio, but some rush straight towards us. My force combined with Emilio's busts down the door to the stairwell. An alarm begins to sound.

"TWO HIGH PRIORITY PRISONERS HAVE JUST ESCAPED FROM THE FOURTH FLOOR. BE ON THE LOOKOUT BUT DON'T TRY TO SUBDUE THEM IF POSSIBLE. EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION. LOCKDOWN ALL EXITS FROM THE BUILDING. THAT IS ALL."

"Shit… Shit shit shit and a motherfucker jones…" I mutter to myself. Emilio is struggling to keep up but he's holding his own well. I let go of his hand, so I can propel myself forward. Just because I saved him doesn't mean I don't want to escape too, you know. We keep pace with each other down the stairs.

We descend three floors. This should put us on the ground level. Already I hear a squadron of guards. I can tell from the long clicks their boots create on the tiles.

Emilio suddenly stops.

"Emilio, come on! We'll get caught if we stay here!"

"No. This way is safest." Emilio cryptically walks into a supply closet, holding the door ajar and beckoning me in.

I have no idea what to make of this development. I have to decide fast. Suddenly I hear the squad's footsteps change direction. They are coming the way I was about to go. I decide to trust my young partner in crime and I rush into the closet after him.

The closet is darkened as he shuts the door. Light still appears from somewhere.

"There is a window behind these boxes," says Emilio. I didn't notice before, but his voice holds a raspy tone. It sounds like an old person, but with the still squeaky pitch of a child. He is trying to pull down the boxes.

"Hold on one moment, kid." I say. Emilio turns. Even in the minimal light, his small, purple eyes glisten with some odd emotion.

"What is it?"

"How do you know this stuff? And what'd you get arrested for?"

He appears thoughtful. He shrugs me off and tries to pull at the boxes. He can't move them.

"There are some things that older people cannot understand. My own circumstances-"

The door to the closet begins to jiggle.

"IN HERE! THEY'RE HERE!" shouts a guard. I forget my curiosity as the adrenaline begins to pump feverishly. I grab the boxes as I hear someone fit a key into the door lock. I thrust them violently to the side to reveal the window. Outside is a clearing, and in the distance is a forest. If we can run there, we can take cover from this place. There is, thank Arceus, no fence.

The window is made of Plexiglas. In the seconds it takes for me to drag up the frame and toss aside the plastic, the door busts down. Emilio shoots past me through the slim opening in the wall. I blindly follow him as I feel the guard's hands just brush against my shirt, searching for a grip that isn't there.

I fall a few feet onto my face. Emilio is standing calmly above me. He offers a hand up and I grab it, and we run through the desert as some of the slimmer guards attempt to give chase. A helicopter leaves a helipad far above us. As I'm running, I turn to see the scope of the building. It is 9 or so stories high, but very long. It must hold thousands of prisoners like us. The stone gray walls and few windows give the place a terrifying, medieval feel.

We are nearing the forest when Emilio darts far right, dragging me with him. I hear the whistle of a net, landing where our trajectory would have taken us. It twists for a second over the nothingness that it encases before falling flat. The few pursuers who made it out the window deftly leap over it.

We are about 500 feet from the forest. It stretches far out in all directions, save the veritable desert we came from. There are some palms at the edge of it, but it appears tropic for the most part.

Emilio stops again, but does not move. His face shows fear, terrible fear.

"The… the… THE!" He collapses to the ground, coughing, gagging, and writhing about. I pick him up and try to hold down his seizures. He doesn't resist or speak, pointing to the forest, and then holding his head with a moan. I run in the direction he points, as far as my already tired legs can carry us. The adrenaline in my system is giving way to exhaustion and confusion. Thanks to our little episode, the three guards behind us are barely 100 feet away. I pull him into the first few feet of vegetation, the palm fronds whip against my skin with a sting. He begins to relax in my arms. It's hard to carry him, and hard to keep going. I need to get some shelter, and soon. My heart pumps faster and faster all the while.

The deeper I press into the vegetation, the harder it is to proceed. The guards are slowed, but are catching up quicker than I expect. I make a sharp left turn. A few feet ahead is a tree hollow, hopefully the guards don't see me run into it. I dash into the small opening, accidentally colliding with the tree trunk. I lose consciousness instantly.


	5. Explanations and Evolutions

I'm awake, I think to myself, realizing I am conscious once again. I hear the helicopter in the distance before I open my eyes. I look around me. I press my hands against the ground to allow myself to stand.

The ground doesn't respond. Wait, ground? Ground, where are you? I look below me. I'm levitating in midair! I see my body, sitting crisscross, but the ground is far below me. Above is the tree. Around me, I notice a faint, white aura. Little laces of navy blue intermingle with it.

My next thought is to Emilio. Given his odd, almost psychic knowledge thus far, I wonder if this is connected to him. "Emilio? Are… you doing this?"

A foot dangles into my line of vision. I pull my head back, hitting the tree wall. I fall about six inches before maintaining my altitude. Another foot. Then two legs, a torso, and the smiling but dirty face of Emilio.

"You saved me. Thank you. I was in much trouble, but you, not knowing me, saved me rather than save yourself first. You are a good person, Indigo Noburi."

"Uh… What happened?"

"I have psychic powers. I cannot explain the circumstances to you. They will put us in far more danger than we are already in."

"I... I kind of guessed as much," I say defeatedly. I really don't have the concsious thought to question these things now. I'll debate the mumbo-jumbo later. "It's cool that you can do this stuff. Is this why they arrested you?"

"You want to know what crime I have committed. I will not tell you."

"Oh... Ok. I won't ask, then," I say. So what, it's none of my business. "Why did you have that seizure though?"

Emilio frowned. "Those people know much about my abilities. They were very mean to me. They tried to use me for their own purposes. I told them no."

"They tried to recruit me because I'm a good engineer."

"Your situation may be similar. But my problem ends not there. They learned how to counter my power. There is a method of thought. Those like me take serious damage from its broadcast. Those who are unawakened take not a punch of it."

"So they have a way to counter your abilities and render you helpless, is that right? Like, a radio wave?"

"Yes. But it is difficult to do. Whilst in that chair, they sometimes come and ask me to do things for them, or suffer its pain. Resistance is futile."

His little voice is robotic, broken. I want to hug him, but at the same time, I don't want to disturb him.

I feel extreme pity for this kid's shattered life.

"I'm sorry."

"Your empathy saved me, but it will not stop our captors."

"Who are they, anyway?"

"They are the Kadkashi."

"I've never heard of them."

"That's only the name I gave them. It means bad thinkers. I do not know what others call them."

"…Ok. Thank you for answering my questions." Emilio smiles in response, lowering us to the ground again.

I would kiss the ground, but it's really muddy. Intermingled with the mud is sand. Neither of the two should be placed near my mouth, I know.

"I don't know how close they are. Do you?" I ask humbly.

"No. They are not too near. We must proceed with attentiveness." I nod.

"We should go this way. If the sun gives us any sense of direction, then this way is west. They took me somewhere from Anville town, in the time I was knocked out by a cop named Garrett. It can't be too far away, and east of Anville town the only desert before you get to the coast is the Desert Resort. That's probably where we are. With any luck we can get to Nimbasa City and jump a train directly there."

"Garrett, you said?"

"Yes. What about him?"

"No. I have never met any Garrett. That name rings a bell though. I cannot place it anywhere."

"Ok... then."

"I was struck with amnesia some time ago. Right about when I first came into my powers. I've always thought those two events were connected."

"That's... a shame. It's beyond our control now, anyway. Did you get your powers before them?"

Emilio didn't answer, rather, he changed the topic. "Do you know what's strange?"

"No, what?"

"We have not encountered any wild Pokémon. I assume the noise and bad thoughts scared them away."

"A... very good point. We can't let our guard down. No matter what happens, we have to trust each other's judgments. Ok?"

"A very weighty promise. So long as I do not feel anything out of the ordinary, I will cooperate with you. I will not accompany you all the way to Anville Town, but I shall try to stay by your side. It is the very least I can do to repay you."

"Thanks."

"Oh… you're very welcome," Emilio beamed as he spoke. He had shed his dark manner somewhat and I could tell that he was looking forward to our trip. For whatever weird reason.

* * *

The jungle surrounding us was lush, but darkened. The sun was setting in the distance. We could no longer hear the search helicopter. As we walked farther into the unknown, I began to grow weary again. I expressed this concern to Emilio after a while.

"I think we need to stop and rest for the night."

"Rest…?"

"You know, get some sleep. We don't have the stamina for this."

"Sleep?"

This poor kid must really have amnesia, and it must have been recent. "Sleep is when we close our eyes and lie still for a long time. It lets our bodies recharge after all the work we've put them through. We sleep at night, remember?"

"No... no no, Indigo. I have never slept. I don't seem to tire as quickly as you do. I thought sleeping was only a status condition…" I was puzzled at this. He doesn't sleep? Does he eat a lot then? What are the implications of this?

"Ok, then… I have to sleep though. We need somewhere where it will be safe to stay."

He looked thoughtful. "We should go over here." Suddenly, Emilio banked a hard right. I ran after, but struggled to keep up after several minutes of the strange chase and ended up sitting down for a good wheeze.

Suddenly Emilio came back. "Here! I knew it would be safe here." He parts the foliage with his hands to reveal an oasis. It's very small, but a few wild Pokémon are coming out of their burrows to bask in the cool night.

"That's… convenient," I say absently. My eyes aren't on the oasis though; my eyes are locked upon a small family of Torchic. There are two elderly looking ones huddled around a fire of their own making.

"Are you a vegetarian?" I ask quietly, so as not to disturb my prey. My stomach growls feverishly.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. "

"Unless you've got a stash of berries somewhere, I see dinner."

"Dinner? You... YOU'RE EATING POKÉMON?!" Emilio shouts angrily. The assorted Pokémon scatter. I leap from the bushes as the Torchic pair begins to move. I snag the female one, hugging it to my body. It's warm and comforting.

"NO! Indigo! Don't eat them!" Emilio rushes to me, but stops out of fear quickly. His eyes are like saucers of gravy, and the thought of gravy entices me to eat the Torchic. The bird breathes weak embers but they miss me.

"Look, I'm hungry, I'm tired, and at least this is an old Torchic. Calm down," I say, grasping the large, top most feathers of the Torchic to prepare to snap its neck and end its life quickly. Its talons are clawing at my jacket.

"…not… no… NEVER!" Emilio startles me, but I do not move. I see the wispy, whitish navy aura already surrounding my skin. I'm lifted into the air, but as I try to scream, I find my mouth cannot form the words. The Torchic falls from my hands and the boy catches it, effectively dropping me in the process. I fall six feet into the oasis before I am able to comprehend this. I resurface and exit the pool of water, now freezing.

"EMILIO! Arceus, that was dinner!" I say. Dinner, the Torchic, hops from his grip and into the rocks. The few Pokémon that were about scurry away as well, except a Spinarak who is trying to swing away from its ill-timed string shot.

"You would eat an innocent Torchic? A creature who has lived its life containing its fiery gift so as not to burn the world? The gift of fire is a tricky one, it burns at one's soul until they are forced to smolder. You would harm that poor creature? The one who spends its life, secluded from the world so as not to kill all others? Even when I'm more than capable of providing each of us with satisfactory, _inanimate _foodstuffs? Shame! Shame on you, Indigo! You must truly be a criminal, if you can agree with such thoughts! What makes you better than the Kadkashi?"

I look down with shame. I don't know why, but his tone gives me a feeling of disappointment, though I disagree with what he says. I AM HUNGRY.

"I'm... not a criminal."

"Then prove it."

"How? You're running from the same people I am!" I snarl, trying to shut the kid up so I can eat in peace. It might not have been worth it to save him, despite him getting us here.

"Go hungry tonight, in penance for your actions."

My eye twitches as I process the command. "I can't survive without food! I need to eat, otherwise we'll be worse off in the morning!"

"You have enough energy to last," he finishes angrily. He locks eyes with my shivering form.

Suddenly his pupils go red. His irises follow suit. Suddenly, I feel utterly exhausted, more so than before, if that was possible. I'm afraid, but suddenly... I'm not. The shivering stops. The panic ends. The aches and pains I feel ebb away instantly, but not sharply.

"Hyp…nos…is…" I mouth at the last second, before I slump to the sandy ground in defeat.

* * *

_Morning comes. Indigo does not awaken._

_I have very little hope that he will. I should not have been forceful with my attack, but it was only out of my resentment. Now I need a large stroke of luck or a plethora of Chesto berries. He is locked in never-ending sleep._

_In the Unova region, berries are scarce. Oran berries and the like are here, sure, but not in a desert. I may have to go to the city, into someone's personal garden._

_That's not a pleasing thought, given my fear of people, particularly crowds._

_Indigo still thinks I'm a prodigy boy. Better he think that than know the truth. I may not know everything about Poké balls, but I suspect that he would have some stored away at his home._

_I transform back into myself again. My wings, ahh. My glorious wings return to me at last. My very spirit calms. Of course, I still have tasks ahead, but my true form makes me feel a little better. It will take every ounce of willpower to relinquish it again._

_I speak with the nearby Pokémon. They do not know of the sleep curing berries. The old Torchic, however, turns to speak to me._

_"Thank you for saving me, great guardian spirit. I've heard many tales of you and your kindness."_

_"Oh, it was nothing. I would never let him harm a feather, or a leg or a single part of any Pokémon for sustenance."_

_"But, you risked revealing yourself to him. Why do you accompany this sleeping human-ko?"_

_"The child may be older than myself, but he is not as mature as we are. He saved me from a very difficult position, unknowing of my true form or origin. For that I am accompanying him to his destination."_

_"Why does he not travel with his kind?"_

_"In their eyes he has committed an evil. He seeks knowledge long buried by time, left only in the archaic medium of computers."_

_"I do not know these."_

_"Many years ago they were banned and destroyed. They were like great book burnings, you see. This boy craves the caress of steel and stone, the wonders his kind creates. He has a lust to know, but no motive to conquer his peers. I judge him as a good spirit living in the wrong time."_

_"So you will see that he causes no harm on his quest for knowledge, great guardian?"_

_"No, my friend. This is the extent of what I can do for him."_

_"Thank you. I beseech you for answers no more. Instead, I may offer a kindness, in the hopes that it will help teach this boy to not harm nature again."_

_"Oh? What might that be?"_

_"I will evolve. I will use my new element to learn how to slap him awake. Then you may continue on your journey."_

_"That is a great gift. You bestow it though he wouldst have harmed you."_

_"I feel it will change him spiritually."_

_"It will. Thank you, dear friend."_

_The Torchic's body begins to glow. Unbeknownst to humans, evolution may be triggered at will to any Pokémon. I myself could, but my kind does not often abuse this power. I prefer to remain in my current state._

_The Torchic's body changes. Its shape bends with Dialga and Palkia's will and the spatial and temporal anomaly fades._

_Before me is a fierce Combusken, a mighty warrior who could have died as a Torchic without my presence and abilities. I regain my human form as it walks to the boy. The berries I harvested along my path to find Chestos lay in a grass basket. I sit beside it, ready to feed the hungering soul._


	6. I'm Sick of Passing out

"OW!" I shout quickly. A Combusken steps away from me. It's the one I tried to kill earlier.

"Get away from me!" I say, flicking my wrist. My cheek is in immense pain. It steps back. Emilio is sitting yards away.

"What did you do that for?!" I shout at him.

"I had to get you up somehow. Here, eat." Emilio places a grass basket in front of me. It's filled with Oran berries and Sitrus berries.

"Oh, Arceus, am I STARVED." I run to the basket and immediately begin gobbling fruits, not caring what they are.

"Slow down! You will… ugh…" Emilio turns his head in disgust. The rich flavor of the Sitrus fruit nauseates me. I hurl up a little. I drink some water from the oasis until my stomach calms down a little. Then I resume eating, bit by bit.

"That's a little better. Do you feel refreshed?"

"I… nom… feel somewhat… gulp… better." I continue eating as Emilio stands. He's rather short for his age, but I pay that no mind.

"That's enough, I think. We need to save some of this food for our trip." Emilio takes the basket from my lap. I swallow what I have in my mouth.

"What about water? You got a water bottle?"

"No," says Emilio, "But I have an idea." Emilio drinks from the lake a little. Bubbles rise from his mouth as he submerges his head.

"Emilio! Don't drown!"

Emilio dives into the water. I rush to the side of the pond, looking for him. The clear water shows me two figures in the water. Seconds later, Emilio swims to the surface holding a Pokémon. It's a Panpour.

"This Panpour will accompany us!"

"What?" I ask. "Why are we taking this Panpour?"

"It has agreed to provide us water during our journey. It can use water attacks to help us get through the desert again."

The thought of drinking water that has circulated through a Pokémon's body makes me queasy again. It's not like I have any alternatives though, so I nod.

_I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming... this isn't real anyway, so just go with it,_ I think, but judging from the times I've conveniently lost consciousness, and woken up again, it is real.

"Alright. Er… Thank you, Panpour."

"Pan Pa! Pour pan pan pa pour." Panpour dances a little. I roll my eyes.

"Ok, let's get going." Emilio begins walking west. The rising sun begins to toast our backs. I roll up the sleeves of my navy prison jacket.

"How long do you think this will take, Indigo?"

"Well, north takes us to Nimbasa City. It's really risky to go there, but it will shorten our journey. If we take the train, we'll be at Anville Town in a couple of hours."

"To Nimbasa city we go then! Onward… march!" Emilio and the Panpour begin walking like soldiers, keeping time with their footsteps.

Again I roll my eyes. I walk ahead of them so I don't have to hear any of their nonsense.

In a few hours, we should reach the city.

I clear away some of the shrubs. Panpour and Emilio seem to be bored with their games and walk up to me.

"This walk is just so excruciating. There must be a faster way!"

"Pan! Pan pa pour?"

"Hey, look, I don't know, unless you can teleport us there or something, we're stuck walking."

"You don't know the half of it." Suddenly, he looks up in confusion at the trees. It's difficult to see the sky, but he looks lost in thought.

"What? Something coming?"

"No. It's just I don't know how we'll get past this mountain."

"What mountain? There's just trees and stuff here."

"…It must be farther forward…" Emilio begins walking again, but stops. He keeps up this odd act until finally he just sits down.

"It's right here. I know it's right here…" I finally just ignore his rambling and keep walking. I push past the leaves and shrubs and turn around to stare at him a minute. The Panpour comes with me.

"Seriously Emilio, I know you're nine, and pardon my French, but you need to get up off your- AHHH!"

I hit a rocky wall. In my rush to chastise Emilio, I forgot to look where I was going. Of course, the wall isn't my only problem. The wall is covered in odd vines, and as I try to stand again, I find they have ensnared me.

"Aww, shit… Yo, can you give me a hand?"

"Gli! Ga!" A purple blur flies past me.

"Huh?"

"Gligar! Gli, ga… ga…" A second blur shows up. It goes into the forest. Emilio screams. Suddenly, two Gligar emerge from the bushes, carrying a struggling nine year old boy. You guessed it, Emilio Kudan. They are dragging him up, and they hiss as they approach me.

"Hey! Put me down!" Emilio kicks and squeals, but the Gligar don't hesitate to begin pulling him up the rocky cliff wall. The Gligar are balancing his weight, while half-flying and half climbing. It's an odd sight to behold.

"Panpour, come on, use Water Gun! We have to save Emilio!"

"Pan… Pa?"

Panpour doesn't understand what Water Gun is.

"Squirt some water at those Gligar!"

"It's no use…" Emilio's voice echoes. "We're too high up! I'll fall!"

"Grab the vines and you'll be ok! Come on Panpour, at least get me out of this," I wriggle in my thorned prison. The vines scrape my skin but don't loosen. Emilio is out of sight.

"We lost him. Great. Now Emilio is Gligar fodder."

Suddenly the rock wall shakes. I'm tossed around in my trap.

"What was that? Is it an earthquake?"

"Pan pan pour pa pan pour."

"Speak English, dammit!"

No response from the monkey.

"…Sluuuggg…"

I pause. "What was that?" Something is coming from very far off.

"…lug sla… sluuuug….."

"Seriously, what the fuck is this? Come on, Panpour!" Minutes pass before I hear the sound again.

"Sluuug… sla slug…SLUGMA!" Fire erupts from my left, searing the vines. My jacket catches fire.

"OWWW OHHH HOT HOT HOT!" I leap in place until Panpour extinguishes the flame. I realize that now I'm free from the bonds that tied me to the wall.

"Sluuuug! Ma sla sluuuug."

"Slugma. Really? Just… fuck this shit." A horde of Slugma from Arceus knows where are encircling me and this monkey.

"If there was ever a time to use Water Gun…" The rock wall shakes again.

"Sluuugg!" The Slugma are cowering, I think, and retreating from us. As the quake stops though, they look up and redouble their efforts to singe me.

I waste no more time, immediately grabbing some of the vines and hauling my tired body upward. Panpour begins to follow. It appears the Slugma can't get to us.

That doesn't stop them though. They use their best Ember and Flamethrower attacks to singe me and the area around me. They aren't good aimers, but their efforts are beginning to roast and weaken the vines. I grab one of the charred ones by mistake, and tumble to the ground once more.

"Slugmamama?"

"Mac car. Go go Maca!" A Macargo joins the squadron.

The heat begins creeping up on me. Panpour rights himself, and soon realizes he's the only thing that can save us. Immediately he uses a Water Sport, then Water Gun on any Slugma he can find.

The Slugma in his wake find their bodies turn to stone. Many flee out of fear until only the Macargo and some of the fastest Slugma remain. They encircle us, and the heat that radiates from them is starting to singe me.

"Pan pa…" Panpour steps back worriedly. Why isn't he attacking?

"Panpour! What's wrong? Keep using your Water Gun!"

"Pan pa…" Panpour sits down at my side, panting with exhaustion. A cloud of ash begins making its way towards us. He doesn't appear to have any more water stored in his body.

"A Smokescreen…" I cough and splutter. Panpour weakly blows a single bubble before falling down. He collapses onto his stomach.

I can't take any more of this. My lungs, eyes and throat burn inside.

"Please… make it… stop… "

"VVVVRERROOOUUGHGH!"

"Panpour… what was… that?" I cough out weakly. Suddenly the haze begins to blow away. I can't make any sense of what's going on though; the haze in my head hasn't subsided. In fact I can't make sense of anything.

I close my eyes to the sound of scraping metal… Arceus, why do I have to keep passing out?


	7. I officially hate Gligar and Skarmory

She pours a glass of Oran juice for herself, settling down at the rickety kitchen table. I look down from my paper to ask if I can get any. I already know her smug response.

"So, Tiff, where's the glass of OJ for your big bro?"

"Shut it, Clyde, your legs aren't broken and I'm not your bitch."

I sigh. "Slaking, can you get me a glass of OJ?"

"You are such a sexist!" shouts Tiffany. "Just because you have a female Pokémon doesn't mean you should make it your maid."

"Not a bad idea, then. Slaking, yo! Get your fat bitch ass over here and rub mah feet!" Slaking rolls her eyes lazily, and goes back to watching her two children. The young Slakoth are rolling about on the moldy rug.

"Say, look at this headline Tiffany," I say after a while. "Looks familiar, eh?" I turn the paper around so she can read the article in question.

"**TWO TERROSIST CHILDREN ESCAPE HIGH SECURITY PRISON**."

Tiffany scans the article. She barely looks at the names and places but she gets the gist of it.

"…That's the kid we got! But who's that other boy?"

"Look at the face again. Focus on the back of his neck."

"I don't see what you… wait… What is his hair covering? It looks like a… triangle?"

"That's because… it is."

"You… HOLY MOTHER OF ARCEUS! IT'S THE LATIOS KID!"

"Bingo. I can only guess that the Gligar got to him before we did."

"What do we do with this one then, Clyde?" Tiffany points to the older boy I saved yesterday.

"It's lucky for him we got there. I think we keep this a secret from him."

"He already knows, I'll bet. I mean, why the fuck would Latios trust him otherwise?"

"He might not. Still, we can use this guy to get that Latios."

"Latios isn't an idiot. He doesn't give a shit about this kid if it means sacrificing himself. What's its fake name?"

I scroll the article. "Dick if I know. It mentions a Mr. Yakamushi and a Mr. Noburi, but both of those are related to Indigo. That's the older boy."

"Nothing about Latios? Damn."

"Yeah. Sucks butt. But we have a veritable mine of information sitting in the basement."

"Think we should get him out of there before the Rattata get to him?"

"Yeah. We need him to think we're his buddies. Then, before he bats an eye…"

"We present the Human Latios to Gordor," finishes Tiffany.

"I'll get him. Come on, Slaking, I'm gonna need your help lifting the kid."

"Sla…" Slaking glares at her children a minute and comes over to the rotting basement stairs.

* * *

"Unnnhhh…" sleep… need more sleep? No. Sleep… had sleep… Up… awake now? Can't think…

"Morning sleeping beauty." Who said that? The voice was gruff, but young. It has a musical quality to it, like a drum beat lurks behind each syllable.

"Unnnhhh… can't move…" my eyes don't respond as I begin commanding them to open. I move my hands to rub my face. Instead, though, I hear the clink of metal.

"There's a good reason for that, no?"

"What's… snorffle… that?" I'm beginning to open my eyes slightly. I can make out a blurred figure in a navy trench coat. Odd lines and patterns swirl on it. Shaggy, gray hair flows down to the man's neck.

"Handcuffs, kiddo."

"Cuffs…cuffs, CUFFS!" I finally coax my eyes awake at the thought that I'm at some sort of police station or jail. I try leaping from the bed, but the bonds at my wrists jar me back to the bed.

"Don't try to break those things kid, they're police grade. Nabbed 'em off a copper myself."

"What… what do you want with me?"

"You're very to-the-point, kid. Chillax, you're safe."

"Why… hey, what's with, like, the lingo?"

"Hey, hey, now. That's no way to thank me for saving you, insulting me like that."

"You saved me?"

"Kid, if I hadn't shown up, they'd be scrapping your charred remains away in a matchbox."

"…Thank you. I appreciate the fact that I'm not dead, but I have an agenda to keep. I can't exactly leave while you guys have me stuck here."

"You're welcome." The odd guy walked off, ignoring my plea. The last thing I notice is the fact that he's wearing white Go-go boots, but in a masculine fit. Then, I lean back on the bed and close my eyes for some more well-deserved rest.

* * *

"Panpour!" I'm immediately awakened by a heavy weight jumping onto my stomach.

"OOOF! Get off, furball," I say, swatting the monkey from my stomach.

"Is he yours?" asks a feminine voice. Like the first, it holds a musical quality, like a melody I've long forgotten. It reminds me of a flute, or perhaps a viola, at least something high pitched yet smooth.

"Huh? Who are you?"

"Don't be rude, answer my question!" The smooth voice turns to a slight shriek. I have to hold my sensitive ears.

"Oww…"

"Kid, what is it?" I turn finally to face this voice. A girl with long, platinum blonde locks stares at me. Her face and height reveals her to be in her twenties.

"Umm… This Panpour doesn't really belong to me. It's just delivering it to… a friend."

"A friend you say? Come on, spill the beans!"

I shift uncomfortably, hoping to Arceus she doesn't know something about this already. She does.

"Keeping quiet eh? No matter! I already know who this kid is."She was very playful, I could tell she wanted information, but I couldn't tell why and her manner made me stop questioning her. Her sing-song voice was playing tricks on my ears.

She walks out the door. A second later, she grabs a newspaper and tosses it at me. I would grab it, but my hands are still held down at my sides. It falls on my stomach, unreadable.

"Then you know more than me," I say. "He's really weird." She laughs, long and loud. I suddenly blush. She looks, well, dammit, I'm a teenager, she looks hot.

"For a very good reason! But if you don't know, who am I to spoil the fun?" she grabs the paper from my chest.

"So what's with him? What do you know?"

"I should ask you the same thing. And since I'm the one with the key, you'll have to answer my questions first." She twirls a small ring around her finger. Attached is a silver, tarnished key.

"Uh…" I try to think of some way to get her to drop the keys to me.

"I'll ask the questions, because I already know you're clueless. So, this kid, where is he now?"

"I really don't know. I don't have a ghost of an answer for you. He got picked up by some Gligar, they took him up the mountain where you guys found me."

"GUYS?! I'm clearly FEMALE! YOU are so SEXIST! HAVE A LITTLE RESPECT!" I wince at the noise.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but can you tone it down? I have really sensitive hearing, I can't handle this."

"Humph! Well, like it or NOT, you need to learn RESPECT!"

"Hey, Tiff! Cut off the megahertz and leave him to me, 'kay?" The same man comes back into the room holding a half-empty glass of Oran juice. Tiffany storms out, glaring at him.

"Sorry for that. That's Tiffany. She's my younger sis. I'm Clyde. I suppose we should have introduced ourselves earlier, but didn't get around to it."

"I'm Indigo. Indigo Noburi."

"That chick's a bitch ain't she?" Clyde swaggers over and kneels so I have a better view of his face. He smells like he's been drinking, but the Oran juice almost hides the effect. I want to gag.

"No, I'm sure she-"

"Naww, she's a bitch, don't feel bad saying it," Clyde interrupts.

"I HEARD THAT!" Tiffany, though far away, makes my head spin more. I groan.

"Something wrong? You don't seem so hot to trot."

"I have really sensitive hearing. It isn't usually a problem, but she's really killing me… plus your breath is nauseating."

"Hmm?" Clyde takes a breath into his hand and sniffs it. "Whoa, trippy. I smell like a drunk, don't I?"

"No, not really-"

"I know you're being polite. Imagine, a polite little criminal, trying not to make me feel bad about being hung-over. It's chill kid. You can tell me if I'm a creepy ass drunk bro. I'm in the same boat as you."

"You're a criminal?"

"Dafuq's it look like? I don't wear these go-go boots just 'cuz they're stylish. Say, here's a thought, guess what team I used to be in? You're not gonna figure it out, but it's good to see what you know."

"What... region are we in?" I ask. Generally, if you could find a region, you could pin down a few options as far as teams went. Team Rocket was everywhere, but they didn't wear go-go boots.

"You wanna hint? Take a guess first."

"Let's see… Umm… gray hair… navy cloak." Thank Arceus for some of Iggy's history lessons. Aside from Team Rocket, he made it his mission to know about all of the villainous teams. He was convinced this was some kind of umbrella conspiracy, and that if all the teams were so similar, there had to be something behind it. I studied them with him for a while, just for something to do.

"You're an Admin of something, right?"

"That's just the easy part. You still have no idea who I worked for."

"I'm thinking… How about the Go-Rock Squad?"

"Oh I can't believe it! You guessed it! Hey Tiff, this kid knows about the Go-Rock Squad!"

"Go to hell Clyde, maybe the devil will give you more fucks about it than I do."

Clyde shrugs.

"Well, you've got bro points in my book. Tell ya what, Rumplestiltskin; I'll take off one of those cuffs." Clyde reaches into his pocket for a key. He crouches to the side of the bed I'm in, unlocking the cuffs from the metal bedframe. Like that, I'm free from the first shackle. I could just reach for the key and try to escape, but I'd rather not. I want information as much as this guy does.

"So we're in the Fiore region, correct?"

"Bingo. Damn impressive knowledge, by the way, kid."

"Well, I don't know that much about you guys. I'm from Johto, so we're pretty far away geographically."

"Johto, huh? How'd you get here, then?"

"I was in this crazy government building. They were interrogating me."

"You got away? From the G-men? Takes some guts that does."

"Er… thanks."

"How'd you do it?"

"I was in the interrogation room when they called a meeting of all the employees. I found a golf pencil, so I used it to unlock some of the doors, and… uh… got out through a window on the first floor."

"Alright then. You don't seem bugged, so I think it's safe to let you out. You probably wanna find your friend, am I right?" I nod.

"Then let's get you up and running. Hungry? We've got some toast in the other room." Clyde offers his hand. I take it, and he pulls me upright from the bed.

* * *

The toast is dry, but it's food, so I gobble it down. The Oran berry juice goes well with breakfast, and in no time at all, I'm finished.

"Thanks again, you guys really saved me back there."

"Heh, nice to hear that. You're welcome." He pauses. "Tiff, come on, you too, be polite."

"Go to hell," Tiffany growls. "And get eaten by Houndoom before you come back." She sips some Oran juice.

"Ok, well, I'm off. Come on, Panpour." The monkey Pokémon leaps from the kitchen island onto my shoulder. I rub its head affectionately.

"Oh, since you're going out, take this." Tiffany throws a cloth bag at me. I catch it and inspect it. It's a pink, sparkly sequined purse.

"Uhh… why are you giving me this?"

"It's old news to me. Pink, is so, like, two generations ago. But it'll help you carry stuff. There are a lot of pockets, and it's filled with berries." I open it. A plethora of Oran berries and Lum berries meets my grateful eye.

"Thanks! This is really gonna help us out."

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome. Now scram, we're busy." I nod and head out the door of their log cabin, ready to take on the world.

* * *

"He's gone by now."

"I'll look for one, then." I get up from the table and walk to the balcony. I can't trust it too much, but I have to get closer to the sky. I search the clouds for a bird Pokémon.

"There! Skarmory, two o'clock. Hand me the goods."

Tiffany normally would complain, but this is important, so she only hands me the rocks with a slight scowl.

"One for the Celebi, two for the Unown, three to get Manaphy, and four to GO!" I throw the rock skyward. It misses the Skarmory by a yard.

"Dammit. Rock two." I reach down for the next rock. I wind up, just like pitching a baseball, and throw it at the Skarmory. It barely connects, pinging off its metal wings.

"Oh shit… Phase two, coming at us!" The Skarmory screeches, cawing mightily, and pulls into a nose dive. Tiffany leaps from her chair and hides behind the counter. Slaking comes to my side, but I duck out of sight too.

"SKIIIAIAIAI!" The Skarmory hits the balcony. It falls under the bird's impact. The bird ignores this, scrambling up to meet us. I launch the top of my Power Styler to the ground.

After swirling around the Skarmory a few times, to its haughty displeasure, it stops attacking. The Skarmory is now under my control. I waste no time instructing it.

"There's a boy. He looks like this," I hold up the paper, showing it to the metallic bird.

"He went that way. Follow him. And if you see this one," I add, pointing to the Latios, "Get him and bring him to me. Kill the first one afterwards, but find the second boy before that."

Skarmory caws again in response. Tiffany slides her face up slowly from the counter.

"Go." Skarmory flies out the balcony, then turns and heads in Indigo's direction. The boy doesn't know what's coming.

* * *

"He said the mountain was this way, right? Well, shouldn't we have seen it by now?"

"Pan. Pa pour pan." Panpour shrugs. It's beginning to grow chilly as dusk settles over the Fiore region. I wonder vaguely how I'm ever going to get back to any civilization, or what I'd do if I got there... or how we even got to Fiore in the first place.

"Fine. Maybe it's just me, but he could have been lying to us."

"…Ska!..." a faint, but shrill call resonates.

"What was that..?"

"Pan? Pour pan pa pour?"

"SKA!" The call is closer. Panpour hears it, and cringes.

"I wish I could speak Pokémon right now. Give me the gist, do we run or fight?"

Panpour drops to all fours and sprints. I take that as a bad sign and immediately churn the dust after him.

"SKIIIIIAAAAAIII!" The call echoes extremely close by. The extreme pitch throws me to the ground, writhing and holding my head.

"MORRY! SKARMORY!" The cry resonates so loud, I feel my head split in two. I barely notice two long pairs of talons grip my sleeves and draw blood. I'm lifted into the air by the ferocious metal bird whose wings clang like church bells. The acrid smell of metal burns and claws at my throat as the bird would. I taste the tinny air, growing nauseous as we gain height, leaving Panpour behind.

The bird stops cawing and carries me farther away, back towards Clyde and Tiffany. I start to wonder if they sent it.

"Skarmory..? I ask tentatively, my head still throbbing. The bird jars me with a vicious screech and concentrates on the journey ahead, erasing my day's work.

* * *

In no time at all, thanks to this damn Skarmory, I've lost all of my work, and arrive back at Tiffany and Clyde's cabin. Skarmory caws and the door opens.

"Good job Skarmor… Indigo?!" Clyde steps away. Tiffany comes into the hall and swears up a tempest. While she does that, my head begins to pound.

"Oww…Oww… C-Clyde… oww… Shut her up!" Clyde hits her square in the rear. She leaps, clawing at him. He steps outside with me and the bird to avoid her deluge. She shuts the door in a humph.

"Th-thanks…" I say, still reeling from shock.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was just trying to get down the mountain when this bird came and flew me here. Wasted all my work! You better have a good reason for sending this bird after me."

"…Sekra Range… heh. Heh-heh. Good work Skarmory." He rubs the bird smoothly about the head. It caws very softly, but still high pitched. I hold my head again.

"What's the matter with you? You keep holding your head like you have chronic migraines."

"I'm sensitive to loud noise. I can't stand that thing's cry. Or your sister's."

"Heh-heh… Heh heh heh HA HA HAHAHAHAHAH!" He laughs loudly. Ordinarily it wouldn't bother me, but in my weak state I fall to the ground, cupping my head.

"LISTEN BOY!" He shouts, ferociously gripping at my bloodied and torn jacket. "YOUR FRIEND IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU KNOW! YOU WILL FETCH HIM FOR ME, AND IF YOU DON'T THEN SKARMORY IS MORE THAN HAPPY TO MOTIVATE YOU!" Skarmory bellows a terrifying shriek, exposing his claws directly in front of my face. Without a second thought, the bird carves a gouge over my right eye. It bleeds profusely. Clyde barely notices. He is _pissed._

"Arceus… FUCK YOU SKARMORY! Get out NOW!" Clyde shoos him away with a smack and opens the door. Half of my vision is red, but I notice a dent in the Skarmory's back side.

"We've got a problem, get the first aid kit and some disinfectant, and I don't give a shit that you're not my bitch," Clyde says to Tiffany. She sees my face and runs into the next room. Clyde drags me back to the bed I was on before and pushes me down. I don't have the strength to resist.

Immediately Tiffany comes in, but pushes Clyde aside to use the first aid kit on me. He shrugs, and rubs his temples, sitting on the floor to watch me. Soon he decides to get up and handcuff me to the bed. I feebly squirm. He smacks my face, and it bleeds more.

"Stop it Clyde! Don't hit him until I fix this!"

"I don't give a fuck," Clyde growls, and storms off.

"It's alright, baby, shhh…" Tiffany coos like a mother to her child. She dabs antiseptic, causing me to howl with all of this combined facial pain. She rubs my forehead slowly, and then stops to grab gauze and several other items from the kit. I close my eyes.

* * *

Morning comes. I open my eyes once more to face the ceiling. I can only see out of my left, the right is covered by an eyepatch. I can still make out blackness, but not much.

"You have to be the luckiest person in the world," Tiffany states, sprawled in her jammies on a cot on the floor. I can't help but goggle at her partially exposed stomach.

"Oh, you devil," she says, making a claw motion with her wrist. She wraps herself in a blanket.

"Anyway, Skarmory didn't touch your eye. It left a thin scar over your eyelid, and I doubt it'll ever heal, but hey, it looks tough. See for yourself."

She pulls away the eyepatch and holds a pocket mirror to my face. I have a nasty, red scar dangling over my right eye. I have to agree with her, while it looks like a hipster trying to act tough, it does add some depth to my features. I notice the stubble on my chin as well.

"Nice beard, isn't it?" I say. "Makes me look more like a vagabond."

"Oh, guys are all the same," Tiffany says, rolling her eyes.

"Morning, kids." Clyde comes through the door, his good humor restored. One hand is behind his back.

"Hey, Clyde," Tiffany says absentmindedly, rolling up the cot on the floor.

"'Sup," he responds, turning to me next. "What, nothing for me?" He looks expectant. I don't know what to say, he tried to murder me yesterday! Or at least, his Pokémon did.

"Uh… Good morning?" I mutter, in the hopes of appeasing him. He laughs.

"Keep trying. And you're not getting breakfast until you cough up a nice hello."

I'm silent, wracking my brain for a nice but witty retort. I wasn't expecting this sort of thing, and I draw a blank. I opt to just be honest. Brownie points, right?

"Look, I don't know what you want from me. I just got up. So, hello, goodbye, can I leave yet?"

"Meh. Could be better, but your reasoning is sound. Ok, got something for you two."

"Not toast again, please," Tiffany says, standing up. Suddenly I feel a lot more vulnerable, with their two figures towering over me.

"Nope! This!" Clyde pulls a navy blue box out from behind his back. Tiffany raises an eyebrow.

"So… where'd you get this? And what is it?"

"Wouldn't you know, there's a cellar full of old stuff we brought? Whipped this up last night." Clyde opens the box, lazily tossing the lid to the floor. Tiffany peeks into it. Her eyes go wide with shock.

"We can't use that! We'll get caught for sure! You know the risks that came with this!" Tiffany looks between me and Clyde, her eyes are still saucers. I shrink down a little on the bed, trying to move my arms and legs.

"I made the range shorter. Had to switch a few electrodes, and it was difficult, but most of the thing was intact. It just needed the water problem taken care of." Tiffany steps into the kitchen.

"At least get breakfast first," Tiffany calls. Clyde rolls his eyes and goes into the kitchen, leaving me to contemplate what's in the box.

The sound of them munching toast perks my appetite. My stomach growls and my mouth waters feverishly. Later, Tiffany walks in, carrying a small plate of plain toast. She drops the bread to my face, allowing me to soak in the aroma of food. I glance at it hungrily, craning my neck forward. She dangles it out of reach.

"Try a little harder… come on! That's it!" she croons. As I stick out my tongue in the hope of reaching it, she brushes aside the hair on the back of my neck.

"Pity. I thought I saw something." I shrug and go back to lunging for food. She grabs it, but now has no moral opposition to placing it in my mouth. I crunch the bread, savoring the almost sweet but bland taste.

"And tell me when you need some OJ." Tiffany lets the bread fall to my mouth, and leans against the wall. As soon as I finish what I can, she lowers a shot glass filled with Oran juice.

"Drink up. You'll need your strength," she whispers. "You're in for a shitty day." I desperately gulp down the bitter juice.

"Alright, Clyde," she shouts out the door regretfully. "He's all yours."

Clyde struts into the room. I feel anger boil in my throat, watching him swagger around in those boots.

"Alright. Unlock him," Clyde says, tossing a key to Tiffany. She catches it, and undoes one of the cuffs. I don't make any sudden moves yet.

Two, three, the last one comes off. I wait, noticing how both of the Go-Rock Admins tense, expecting me to run. I wait longer. As Clyde relaxes to pull out the device from the box, I make my escape.

"OOFF!" Clyde shouts as I collide with him in my attempt to use the door. Tiffany rushes over to restrain me, but I go to the window at the far end of the room before she can touch me. I bust open the glass, and am almost all the way through when Clyde wrenches me to the ground. Tiffany holds my arms and he puts a foot on my chest.

He must have hit some sort of pressure point. I can't feel my legs, and they don't move.

"That was a lovely little episode. If you're going to escape like that again, I'm afraid we'll need to use some force." Clyde fully lifts the device, and flaunts it in my view. A bright green neon, plastic case in the shape of a bean greets me. It has a small dial, and a screen, as well as several indicator lights on the side. The bottom half has tape covering it, and two batteries are visible. The letters AA are written on it. This must be the makeshift battery cover.

He twists the dial up a single notch. I hear it click. More small, almost inaudible clicks follow, which the two must not be able to hear.

"…That's it?" I say. Tiffany looks at Clyde with confusion.

"Just wait, it might not be ready yet." Clyde looks determined. He mouths the numbers three, two, one…

"KYAARROOOOOOO!" I yell, writhing wildly. Who knows what happened to them, I was too busy enduring screeching pain. The high pitched assault on my ears was unmistakable. The odd device was a radio, perhaps the same kind as the one used to disable Emilio at the government base, but altered to a pitch that made my blood boil.

It stops almost as soon as it started. My ears are still ringing unbearably. Tears well in my eyes, summoned by the terrible pain and noise I just endured.

"Now then," says Clyde slowly. "Let's be on our way, hmm? Tiff, get me the cuffs." Tiffany stands up, tossing a pair of the police grade cuffs to him. He fastens them around my legs, which are immobilized still. He lifts his boot and gets another pair, using them on my hands. As he does this, my vision begins to return to its perfectly normal state and my ears calm down. I stand, still shaken.

Clyde slips the device into his coat and grabs a short rope. He ties it around my neck loosely, like a human leash. Or, as I saw it, a noose.

"Alright, lead the way, kiddo. We're going to pay a visit to those mean ol' Gligar."


End file.
